The Railway Series: BoCo the New Engine
by Greatwestern1522
Summary: It is the year 1965, and a new engine has come to the Island of Sodor for a trial. Will he become a permanent member of the North Western Railway engine fleet? Find out in, BoCo the New Engine
1. The New Arrival

It was the year 1965 on the Island of Sodor. The Fat Controller frowned as he looked at the reports from the manager at the Crovan's Gate Works. "So Duck's boiler ticket has expired and he'll be undergoing an extensive overhaul? Then I'll have to let my other engines know before going to see if I can acquire a new engine to fill in for Duck until he's back in service again."

But the Fat Controller knew he could not just cancel all trains for the purpose of calling his engines to Crovan's Gate. So he stepped out of his office and soon got into his car. A few seconds later, the car's motor roared to life as the Fat Controller drove to Tidmouth Sheds. After arriving at Tidmouth Sheds, he opened one of the car doors and stepped out, making sure to close it.

"Good morning, engines," the Fat Controller said while walking up to them. "I have something to tell all of you. Duck is going to be undergoing an extensive overhaul at the works. So, I'll have to loan an engine and temporarily have them fill in for Duck until his overhaul is complete. Thomas, could you tell Daisy to meet me at Vicarstown? There, I'll board Daisy and we'll set off for the Other Railway."

"But sir," Thomas protested. "I'll need Daisy's help with the passengers, since I can't manage them all on my own. And Toby's going to be too busy working in the quarry with Mavis to help me."

"I understand your concerns, Thomas. But I already considered that. James, I want you to help Thomas with the passengers until Daisy returns to the Ffarquhar Branch Line."

Thomas watched as the Fat Controller got in his car again and drove away after giving orders to Edward, Henry, Gordon and Percy. "Just imagine it, Thomas. All your passengers will marvel at my splendid red paint!" James boasted.

"The Fat Controller wants a branch line diesel to take him to the Other Railway?" Gordon huffed. "Nonsense! A fast engine like me can get him there in no time at all!"

"Yeah, and accidentally run into a ditch as well along the way," Thomas teased. "Just be sure to not try jamming any turntables when you're pulling the express, Gordon." Henry and James soon snickered at Gordon, who proceeded to huff in annoyance.

After an hour of driving, the Fat Controller arrived at Vicarstown and got out of his car. Soon, he noticed a diesel railcar at one of the station platforms. "Ah, perfect timing Daisy!" The Fat Controller said and got onboard. Once everything was ready, Daisy's driver sounded her horn and they set off for the Other Railway.

After a trip that went on for several hours, the Fat Controller arrived at a goods yard where a long green diesel electric locomotive was hard at work preparing both passenger trains and goods trains for other engines to take elsewhere.

"Alright, Daisy. You can go and take a rest for a while," the Fat Controller said while walking along a station platform. But he paused and turned to see both steam locomotives and diesel locomotives hard at work as they bustled about the yard.

As she was reversed into a nearby shed, Daisy let out a yawn. "Finally, a break. I'm not used to going this far, it's bad for my swerves," Daisy muttered.

But as the Fat Controller looked around at all the locomotives, one in particular soon caught his interest. "He certainly works hard," the Fat Controller mused to himself, gazing at the locomotive with an expression of contemplation on his face.

Eventually, the engine noticed that there was a visitor to the goods yard. "Hello there sir," the engine said after being stopped by his driver. "What brings you to this goods yard today?" He asked. Hearing this, the Fat Controller made his way over to the diesel electric and looked at his face for a couple seconds before looking around.

"Is there someone in charge of this yard that I can talk to about something?" The Fat Controller asked. The engine told him about some yard officials from British Rail in an office that were currently on their lunch break and he made his way over. Knocking on the door, the Fat Controller found one of the doors open for him. "Sorry to bother you all during your lunch break, but I was looking for an engine so I could give them a trial for a couple weeks."

One of the men pointed out the green diesel he talked to earlier and he nodded while making his way over. Upon learning the name of the engine, the Fat Controller looked up at him. "Say BoCo, I was wondering if you would like to stay on the Island of Sodor for a couple weeks while you undergo a trial. If everything goes well, then I'll purchase you and you'll be a permanent part of the engine fleet for the North Western Railway. And don't worry, your controller said it was alright since he has other engines that can cover for you."

Hearing this, BoCo smiled as the Fat Controller went off to sign some papers for BoCo's controller. After being woken up, BoCo was coupled up to Daisy so the stout gentleman who would be giving him a trial for a couple weeks could see how he handled pulling another engine. With a single blast on his horn, they set off back for Sodor.

"I should warn you ahead of time. Back in 1957, I gave a diesel shunter a trial but he ended up causing trouble for some of my engines. So their initial reaction to you may be a bit, harsh." Listening to what his temporary controller said, BoCo frowned and began to worry about how they would react to him being on the island. After many hours, BoCo and Daisy made it back to Sodor.

Arriving at Crovan's Gate, BoCo's driver gently braked the diesel electric to a stop at the platform. Once he was on the station platform, he smiled in appoval. "A very smooth ride BoCo, and you pulled Daisy along without any trouble at all. Now before you undergo the trial, I want you to head to the works so the staff can check you over for any issues that might have happened on the way here." BoCo was then uncoupled from Daisy and headed to the works pointed out to him by the Fat Controller.

Reversing into the works, his driver stopped him by a green class 57xx pannier tank from the former Great Western Railway. In 1948, the Big Four underwent nationalization to form British Railways, as it was known at the time before being called British Rail starting in 1965. The Big Four that formed British Rail consisted of The Southern Railway, The London, Midland and Scottish Railway, The London and North Eastern Railway, and The Great Western Railway.

Opening his eyes, the tank engine known as Duck looked at BoCo with a suspicious expression on his face as he recalled the memories of what Devious Diesel had done back in 1957. Ignoring BoCo's friendly greeting, Duck would have gladly steamed out of the works had his fire not been put out in preparation for his eventual overhaul. Frowning at this, BoCo felt a little hurt that Duck was ignoring him.

After the workmen checked him over, BoCo glanced around for a few seconds as he was slowly driven out of the works by his driver. But he stopped upon noticing that the Fat Controller was waiting for him. "Now BoCo, I think that you should become better acquainted with the engines of the Skarloey Railway since you're still new to the Island of Sodor."

"Of course, sir," BoCo replied. The Fat Controller then smiled in response.

"That's a good engine, off you go then!" Moving out of the works, BoCo passed over the points and began heading towards the station located at Crovan's Gate. About a minute after he stopped at the station, BoCo heard a horn and glanced at the narrow gauge tracks on the other side of the station, soon noticing a small black diesel stopping at the platform with a maintenance train behind him.

"Hello," the diesel said. "You must be new here, since I've never seen you around before. I'm Rusty, and you are?"

"I'm BoCo. Erm, I'm not trying to come across as rude or anything. But is it normal for engines to be so small?" Rusty would have been offended by this, but he realized that BoCo didn't yet know about narrow gauge.

"Well, I was built to operate on the Skarloey Railway, which is a narrow gauge line. We might be a lot smaller, but that doesn't mean we can't be useful like you bigger engines. Which reminds me, there's going to be a centennial celebration for Skarloey and Rheneas since they're both now 100 years old."

A minute later, Rusty's driver said something to the small diesel and he glanced at BoCo. "Sorry, I've got to go head towards Lakeside and repair some of the line. But maybe I'll see you around again sometime." With a blast of his horn, Rusty set off again and gradually disappeared around the corner as he began heading towards Lakeside with the maintenance train.

But Duck had seen everything from the works, and suddenly felt uncertain about his silent treatment towards BoCo. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so distant towards him. He doesn't even seem to act like Diesel at all, which is a welcome relief from most diesels acting like they're superior to steam. Besides, it's not exactly the Great Western Way to judge another engine before getting to know them."

Duck then began thinking about how Henry, Gordon and James had been turned against him by Diesel, and the diesel on loan from the Other Railway who insulted the engines during Stepney's visit in 1962 before getting his comeuppance by accidentally having an inspector's bowler hat end up stuck in his air intake.

A few minutes before he was due to depart the platform, BoCo noticed the Fat Controller approaching him. "Well BoCo, how are you enjoying your trial on the Island of Sodor up to this point?"

"It's a lot to take in all at once to be honest, sir," BoCo admitted. "But I did talk with a diesel named Rusty for a couple minutes. I wasn't, aware that they made engines that small."

The Fat Controller merely let out a jovial laugh in response and gazed at him. "Never you worry about that. For the time being, I want you to learn the Ffarquhar Branch Line and become better acquainted with the engines there. Should I have an engine show you the way there?"

"That should be fine, sir. I don't want to end up getting lost after all." The Fat Controller nodded in approval.

"Very well then, I'll have Mavis meet you here." An hour later, another horn was heard as Mavis approached Crovan's Gate. "Mavis, I want you to show BoCo here around the Ffarquhar Branch Line."

"Of course, sir. Hey, shall we go now then?" Mavis asked while glancing at BoCo. After hearing his response, the two engines soon set off for the Ffarquhar Branch Line. But when they were halfway to their destination, both of them had to stop for some fuel since neither of them wanted to end up becoming stranded on the Mainline.

It took another hour and a half, but they eventually arrived at Knapford, which was where the Ffarquhar Branch Line started. "Well, here we are. But it'll take a while to become familiar with everything on this branch line." Setting off again, Mavis began showing BoCo around the Ffarquhar Branch Line. Several hours and a couple refueling stops later, Anopha Quarry could be seen up ahead. But by this point, the sun was now starting to go down.

"I wasn't aware that it was so late now," BoCo said as he looked around Anopha Quarry.

"Hmm, you'll get used to it eventually. But why not stay the night in the sheds here?" Mavis offered. "There's more than enough room for it after all." Smiling, BoCo was reversed into the sheds by his driver. Their drivers then left for the night once BoCo and Mavis were both shut down.

One by one, the engines on the Island of Sodor all fell asleep for the night. All except for the engines at Tidmouth Sheds, who consisted of Henry, Gordon, James, Donald and Douglas.

"Disgraceful!" Gordon hissed.

"Disgusting!" James snapped.

"Despicable!" Henry declared. James soon looked at Henry and Gordon.

"Listen you two, the Fat Controller has made a mistake by allowing another one of their kind on the island after what happened in 1957 and that visiting diesel during Stepney's visit. As for what made him purchase Daisy and Mavis, I don't get it. That new diesel on trial has no place on this island, so I say we should make this quite clear to the Fat Controller."

"And what are you suggesting we do, James. Go on strike again? Need I remind you that he gladly locked the three of us in the sheds as punishment while Thomas, Edward and Percy managed all the goods and passengers during that temporary period," Gordon retorted.

"I doubt that any of us have ideas right now, so just sleep on it and maybe something will come to us by morning," Henry told the two of them. Henry, Gordon and James fell asleep after a couple minutes. But Donald and Douglas stayed up a while longer before falling asleep, reliving memories of their own harrowing journey to Sodor in an attempt to avoid being scrapped.


	2. Hardships, Resilience, and a Meeting

The next morning, BoCo slowly woke up and looked around for a few seconds before going to fall asleep again. But he was startled by the sudden ringing of a bell. Hearing this, Mavis slowly woke up as well. "It looks like, Toby is heading here with the first train of the day to drop off workmen at the quarry."

Around five minutes later, a steam tram stopped at the nearby platform as workmen exited the single coach behind him to begin work at Anopha Quarry. As his bell rang, Toby began approaching the sheds Mavis and BoCo were in. "Good morning, Mavis. Friend of yours?" Toby asked while glancing quizzically between the two of them.

"No, this is actually the first time I've seen him before to be honest," Mavis replied. Hearing this response, Toby looked thoughtful for a few seconds.

"Hmm, you're most likely new to the Island of Sodor then. I'm Toby. The coach behind me is called Henrietta, and the luggage van is known as Elsie. The three of us came to Sodor after our old line in East Anglia shut down since Thomas got in trouble with a policeman for not having cowcatchers and sideplates."

Listening intently to what Toby said, BoCo didn't notice the Anopha Quarry manager walking up to them. "Hey, I just got a message from Sir Topham Hatt. He needs you to meet him at Knapford," the manager told BoCo. Walking away from them, Mavis looked at the other two engines.

"Well, I probably shouldn't keep him waiting. And my name's BoCo, by the way. It was nice to meet both of you." Once BoCo's driver arrived, he was told about what the manager said. Nodding in response, the driver started up the engine he was in charge of. With a blast on his horn, BoCo soon left Anopha Quarry after bidding farewell to Toby and Mavis.

Now that he knew where to go, BoCo had a much easier time navigating the Ffarquhar Branch Line. Several hours later, he pulled into the station at Knapford. Gordon and James were at two of the other platforms. But while Gordon looked away and stubbornly pretended that BoCo wasn't there, James viciously glared at the diesel and blew steam at him.

While BoCo was caught off guard by this, the Fat Controller had seen everything from his office. Stepping outside with an stern expression on his face, he walked towards James, who was looking real pleased with himself for doing that. "James!" The Fat Controller thundered. Seeing him flinch, he began tapping his foot impatiently. "Explain yourself at once!" He ordered.

Now seeming a lot less sure of himself, James tried to think of what to say. But Gordon beat him to it. "With all due respect, sir. I refuse to work with a diesel. And yet you bring another one of them onto the Island even after what Diesel and Class 40 did."

Silent for a minute, the Fat Controller looked up at Gordon. "I see. But you forget one thing. Like my predecessor said to both of you and Henry during your strike, this is my railway and I give the orders. If I decide to have a diesel come here as part of a trial, then that decision lies with me and me alone. The subject is not up for debate, do I make myself clear?" He asked in a deadly calm voice.

James gulped nervously and looked down, but the Fat Controller wouldn't have it. "Look at me when I am speaking to you." James did so, hesitantly looking up. "Answer the question, James, Gordon."

"Yes, sir," the two engines said in unison.

"Good. But if something like this happens again, then I have no problem locking you both in the sheds as a punishment while you think about your attitudes towards BoCo." The Fat Controller then turned to face him.

"Ah, I truly am sorry about their behavior. But why don't you go become familiar with the Brendam Branch Line? I know that Edward will be more than willing to help you with anything." But a few seconds after BoCo started leaving Knapford, the Fat Controller groaned when he realized something. "Great, I forgot to warn him about Bill and Ben."

On the way to the Brendam Branch Line, BoCo passed by Henry. But Henry ignored BoCo and continued past with the heavy goods train trailing behind him. But further up the line, Henry began to feel odd. With a sudden loud noise, steam began shooting out of his safety valve at an alarming rate and he slowly ground to a stop. Climbing down from the cab, Henry's driver climbed up on the footplate and examined his engine closely. "Well that's done it," the driver sighed. "You've burst your safety valve. This train isn't going anywhere else for now. Another engine will have to take over. Maybe that diesel we passed earlier could pull the train."

Henry snorted, doubtful of this. But there was nothing he could do as his driver made a call. After a couple minutes, the sound of a diesel engine could be heard as BoCo reversed towards them. "Ah, good. You're here. Think you can manage the train?"

BoCo glanced at the long goods train, feeling uncertain about it at first. But his uncertainty soon gave way to determination once he saw this as a way to prove himself to the other engines like Gordon and James. "I'll do it," he said and was slowly coupled up to Henry since there was no time to uncouple him from the train.

But as he began moving forward, BoCo found it a lot more difficult to get underway. The weight of the heavy goods train combined with Henry's brakes slipping on meant that his wheels spun futilely. But Henry's driver had an idea of what was going on. "Henry, quit it. Slipping your brakes on like this isn't going to achieve anything. Do you really want the Fat Controller to become angry when this goods train is late?"

With a sudden alarmed gasp, Henry's brakes were successfully shut off by his driver and BoCo found it much easier to pull the train. Gradually picking up speed, BoCo's driver sounded the horn for every level crossing they approached. But soon, BoCo would be facing a difficult challenge in the form of Gordon's Hill. Seeing this, the driver began coaxing all the power and speed he could get out of the engine.

"Henry, you're going to have to help a little bit for this section of the line." Opening the regulator, Henry's driver did this in an attempt to ensure that they would have additional power for the run at the steep gradient. Everything seemed to be going well at first, but this changed the further they got on Gordon's Hill.

Both Henry and BoCo could feel the heavy goods train weighing them down. But neither engine was willing to give up, and so they kept on, slowly struggling up the hill wheel turn by wheel turn. With every bit of power the two engines could muster, they slowly climbed towards the top of Gordon's Hill. When it seemed like the top would never be in sight, BoCo noticed that the worst was over since they were now ready to descend Gordon's Hill.

At last, the two engines reached their destination with the long and heavy goods train. Gently braking to a stop, both Henry and BoCo were uncoupled. "Whew, that certainly took everything I had." After saying this, BoCo went to leave. But he stopped when Henry called out to him.

"Well, it appears that I was wrong about you. Not all diesels are bad after all. Just keep this up, and you might become a part of the North Western Railway before too long." Even though he heard this, BoCo knew it would take a while for all the engines to fully accept him.

A few hours later, BoCo finally arrived at the Brendam Branch Line and stopped for a bit to refuel. Once this was done, BoCo set off again to go find Edward so he could become familiar with the Brendam Branch Line.

Edward was currently waiting in a goods yard for his train to be loaded up, but he seemed confused upon hearing a distant horn. "Odd, I didn't think Daisy or Mavis would be coming down to my branch line today," he said as the horn grew louder. After a couple minutes, BoCo pulled up alongside Edward and looked at the blue tender engine. "Oh, you aren't Daisy or Mavis. My apologies, I wasn't expecting them. And I don't think I've asked for your name yet," Edward said. "I'm Edward by the way."

Smiling, BoCo told Edward his name. "BoCo? That's certainly an unusual name for an engine. Well, no more unusual than giving an engine the nickname of Duck. Though he's going to be out of service for a while since his boiler ticket expired." Upon hearing this, BoCo's expression became sad as he thought about the tank engine he saw earlier at the works. But he was snapped out of his trance by Edward. "Are you alright? You looked sad for a moment there."

After hearing an explanation, Edward frowned. "The Fat Controller may not have told you yet, but a shunter by the name of Diesel arrived back in 1957 and convinced Henry, Gordon and James that Duck told lies about them. So Duck's been distrusting of diesels since that incident," the blue tender engine explained. "And since you're new here, how about you couple up to my train and I'll show you the line?"

"I'd like that very much," BoCo said as he thought about how kind Edward seemed. Edward was then briefly uncoupled from the train since BoCo would be behind him the whole time. After both engines were coupled up, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag as he got in the brake van. Edward's driver acknowledged this by blowing the whistle of his engine before opening the regulator. BoCo's driver did the same and soon, the two locomotives left the goods yard with the relatively light goods train.

Whenever a level crossing was seen, the driver blew Edward's whistle long and loud to warn any waiting automobiles that a train was approaching the level crossing. After arriving at the destination, the two engines were gently braked to a stop before being uncoupled from the train. Edward then noticed some China Clay trucks nearby and he sighed before looking at BoCo.

"Sorry for asking this of you so suddenly, but can you take those trucks to a goods yard further up the line?" Sighing in relief when he said yes, the tender engine looked at BoCo again. "Thanks so much for agreeing. I'll give you some directions to the goods yard." Saying thanks to Edward, BoCo was coupled up to the China Clay trucks and set off for his next destination with a couple blasts of his horn.

Upon arriving, BoCo was uncoupled from his train and closed his eyes as he rested for a bit. But a couple minutes later, he opened his eyes again upon hearing the sound of a steam engine approaching. Thinking the steam engine was Edward, he looked around upon noticing a small yellow tank engine looking up at him. "Do you mind?" BoCo asked the tank engine.

"Yes," The tank engine replied. "I do, I want my trucks please."

"These are mine," BoCo said while rolling his eyes. "Go away." The tank engine pretended that he was frightened and looked up at BoCo.

"You're a big bully," he whimpered. "You'll be sorry." Puffing backwards without any warning, the small tank engine laughed to himself for a few seconds. "You'll be sorry all right, once both of us teach you not to steal our trucks."

A few seconds later, he appeared on the other side of BoCo. "Truck stealer!" He hissed before reversing backwards. As the tank engine kept appearing on either side of him, BoCo began to grow more and more baffled by this.

"What? How is this tank engine moving about so quickly?" BoCo said as the tank engine began steaming alongside for another attempt. "Stop! You're making me giddy!" But much to BoCo's absolute shock, there was not one, but two tank engines gazing at him in a mischievous way. "A- are there two of you?"

"Yes, we're twins," both of them said at the same time.

"I might have known it," BoCo said as he was still very confused by the whole thing.

Just then, Edward arrived at the goods yard and heard this while reversing. "Bill and Ben, why are you playing here?"

"We're not playing," protested Bill.

"We're rescuing our trucks," said Ben. "Even you don't take our trucks without asking, but this diseasel did."

"There's no cause to be rude," Edward told them severely. "This engine is a Metropolitan-Vickers, diesel-electric, Type 2."

The twins were both surprised. "We're sorry, mister, um."

"Never mind," he replied. "Call me BoCo. I'm sorry I didn't understand about the trucks."

"That's all right then," Edward said. "Now off you go, Bill and Ben. Fetch BoCo's trucks, and you can take this lot." Watching both of them leave, Edward glanced at BoCo. "There's no real harm in them, but they're maddening at times."

BoCo chuckled, and gazed back at him. "Maddening, is the word." A week later, BoCo was pulling a small goods train past an orchard. But he noticed a traction engine trying to get his attention.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be BoCo by any chance? My name is Trevor, and Edward told me how you've been such a big help around his branch line recently. And he mentioned that Bill and Ben can be real terrors when they start buzzing around."

"Yeah, I'm BoCo. And they can be quite maddening, I'll give you that," BoCo replied. He then frowned after hearing a buzzing noise coming from the orchard. Trevor soon caught on and began explaining.

"It's the bees, they're all in these boxy things called beehives. I'm taking them to the station. The Vicar says his bees make good honey and he's giving some of them to his friends. I would take care and not accidentally make the bees angry, they might sting you," Trevor cautioned while gazing at BoCo.

"Speaking of bees, I remember the first time I met Bill and Ben. They nearly made my eyes pop out. But Edward soon put a stop to their games." Trevor chuckled for a few seconds after hearing this.

"Edward is the only one who can keep Bill and Ben in order. I sometimes call them the bees."

"A good name," BoCo replied. "They're terrors when they start buzzing around." But James soon began steaming towards them with a passenger train, having heard the conversation.

"What's that, Trevor? Are you afraid of bees? They're only insects, after all. So don't let that buzz-box diesel tell you different."

Trevor let out a sigh. "His name is BoCo, and he didn't. We–"

"I wouldn't care if hundreds were swarming around!" James declared. "I'd just blow smoke and make them buzz off!"

Trevor soon got an idea of what else to say to James, and looked at him. "Buzz, buzz, buzz." Hearing this, James snorted and steamed away from the two of them with a sudden blast of his whistle. About three hours later, BoCo was resting in the goods yard when the yard manager ran up to him.

"I received a call a couple minutes ago from the Tidmouth Stationmaster, James has had an incident and he's unable to pull the express. It's up to you now, BoCo. You'll have to take the express in his place." BoCo seemed unsure about this since the express seemed like a huge responsibility, but his driver began speaking.

"You'll do just fine, now why don't you give it a try at least? Who knows, you might even do a great job pulling the express." Hearing these words of encouragement from his driver, BoCo gazed ahead, his expression resolute. Half an hour later, BoCo was going as fast as he could to quickly reach Tidmouth.

At Tidmouth, the passengers were currently refusing to leave the coaches even though there didn't seem to be any signs of the bees buzzing around the station. But they paused after hearing an unfamiliar horn that grew steadily louder. Hesitantly opening a window, one of the passengers noticed BoCo reversing to the platform so he could be coupled up to the express.

Soon coupled up, the driver sounded BoCo's horn as the express slowly moved out of the station. No one noticed a certain red engine observing this enviously from the siding he was currently on. After he reached the final stop, BoCo was uncoupled from the express.

The next afternoon, Gordon seemed none too pleased as he noticed Edward reversing towards him. "It's not fair," grumbled Gordon.

"What isn't fair?" Asked Edward.

"Letting branch line diesels pull main line trains."

"Never mind, Gordon. I'm sure BoCo will let you pull his trucks sometime."

Gordon spluttered indignantly. "I won't pull BoCo's dirty trucks! I won't run on branch lines!"

"Why not? It would be a nice change."

"The Fat Controller would never approve," huffed Gordon. "Branch lines are vulgar." Gordon huffed away, but Edward chuckled and watched him leave.

Later in the evening, Edward and Gordon found themselves at Knapford as both staff and passengers lined the platform. Gordon always leaves first with an express train to travel along the main line. But Edward would follow five minutes later with a branch line train.

While the passengers were waiting to get in the two trains, the railway staff made sure that everything would go smoothly. Usually everything ran like clockwork. But tonight, there was trouble. A lady in a green floppy hat was saying goodbye to a friend. It was nearly time for Gordon to depart.

The fireman looked back towards the brake coach, and saw something green waving. "Right away mate!" He thought the guard had waved his green flag. Gordon began moving, leaving luggage, his passengers and the guard all standing on the platform. Everyone was very surprised, and cross.

The guard blew his whistle loudly to warn Gordon's driver and fireman, but it was too late since the empty express train was on its way out of the station. To make matters worse, by the time Gordon had been stopped and brought back, Edward was already late with his train. So now he set off first.

But the signalman at the junction wasn't told about the change. By mistake, he sent Edward along the main line. Gordon was sent along the branch line, arriving cold and cross on one of the sidings near the harbour. Next morning, Bill and Ben entered the yard.

There were no trucks for them to take, but they didn't mind that. Teasing Gordon would be much better fun. "What's that?" Asked Bill.

"Shh," whispered Ben. "It's Gordon."

"It looks like Gordon, but it can't be. Gordon never comes on the branch lines, he thinks them vulgar!" Gordon pretended he hadn't heard them.

"If it isn't Gordon," said Ben. "It's just a pile of old iron."

"Which we'd better take to the scrapyard."

"No, Bill! This lot's useless for scrap. We'll take it to the harbour, and dump it in the sea!" Gordon looked at the two of them in alarm.

"I am Gordon. Stop, stop!" When BoCo suddenly arrived, Gordon thought him the most splendid sight he had ever seen. "BoCo, my dear engine. Save me!" BoCo quickly sized up the situation, and threatened to take away the trucks he had brought for Bill and Ben. This made the twins behave at once. Gordon thought he was wonderful.

"Keeping those two in line, how do you do it?"

"Ah, well," said BoCo. "It's just a knack." Gordon still believes that BoCo saved his life. But while BoCo knew full well the twins were only teasing, he decided to keep that fact to himself for now.

Another week soon went by, and BoCo had managed to prove some of the other engines like Henry and Gordon wrong by somewhat changing their views about diesels. One particular day, Bertie the Bus was giving some visitors a tour of the Island of Sodor.

It was their last afternoon on the island, and Edward was preparing to take them to meet Bill and Ben. He found it hard to start the heavy train. "Did you see him straining?" James asked while observing Edward struggling to get underway. "It looks positively painful, his boiler is going to burst at this rate."

While Henry glanced at Edward with a worried expression, Gordon ignored James. Even if he didn't always see eye to eye with Edward, Gordon knew full well that Edward was a lot more useful than James assumed. "James, you're just jealous of Edward," BoCo told him. "Even if you don't think Edward is useful, he'll prove you wrong every time." BoCo's words seemed to give Edward an extra burst of strength.

"I've done it, we're off! I've done it, we're off!" Said Edward as he finally left the station. When Edward finally arrived, Bill and Ben were delighted to see the visitors since they loved being photographed. Later, they took the party to the China Clay Works in a brake van special. Everyone had a splendid time, and the visitors were most impressed.

When Bill and Ben returned a couple hours later, Edward left to take the visitors home. On the way back, the weather changed. Wind and rain buffeted Edward, his sanding gear failed, and his fireman rode in front while dropping sand on the rails by hand. Suddenly, Edward's wheels slipped fiercely.

A couple seconds later, there was a shrieking crack as one of Edward's side rods sheared through part of his frame and caused his face to screw up in agony. The crew soon began expecting the damage. "Hmm, this damage to your frame looks real bad. But maybe we can try something."

It took quite a bit of effort, but Edward's side rods were eventually removed. "We've taken your side rods off. Edward, can you get these people home? They must start back tonight."

"I'll try, sir." Climbing into the cab, the driver slowly opened the regulator to get the train underway again. Trying his hardest to get moving again, Edward's wheels did nothing but spin while struggling to grip the rails. But try as he might, Edward could not start the heavy train.

Although this made the passengers anxious, the driver, fireman and guard started walking alongside the train while making adjustments to the couplings. "We've loosened the couplings, Edward. Now you can manage the coaches one by one, just as you do with trucks."

"That will be much easier," Edward replied wearily. Once his driver finished spreading sand on the rails, he rapidly got in the cab and opened the regulator again. "Come on!" He exclaimed and moved cautiously forward. The first coach moving helped to start the second, and the second helped the third. "I've done it, I've done it."

"Steady there, Edward," warned his driver. "Well done, you've got them, you've got them!" He then began listening to Edward's steady exhaust as smoke and steam billowed from his funnel. By the time they made it to the station, it was now night. Battered, weary, but unbeaten, Edward steamed in.

Henry was impatiently waiting at the other platform for his passengers, but he soon heard Edward's whistle. After Edward stopped, the Fat Controller angrily pointed at the clock. But excited passengers cheered and thanked Edward, his driver, and fireman.

Seeing the state of damage to Edward's frame, the Fat Controller winced. "A fine piece of work, but now you must go to the works for repairs." All Edward could do at the moment was smile wearily and sound his whistle as he watched Henry leave with the passengers. But the Fat Controller glanced down with a sudden contemplative expression as he began thinking. "Both Edward and Duck are out of service now. And BoCo can't manage Edward's Branch Line on his own. So what should I do to make temporary arrangements?" The Fat Controller pondered.

A while later, the Fat Controller was busy looking through some papers on his desk when he heard the door of his office slowly open. Standing there was Mr Peter Sam, who was referred to as the Thin Controller to reflect that he was controller of the Skarloey Railway. Another person soon entered, he was Sir Handel Brown II, owner of the Skarloey Railway.

Two more people could soon be heard approaching. They turned out to be Lord Harry Barrane, chairman of the Culdee Fell Railway. Standing directly behind him was Mr. Walter Richards, manager of the Culdee Fell Railway. Setting the papers down, the Fat Controller soon looked up at the four of them. "Gentlemen, what brings all of you to my office?"

"I have a proposition for you, Sir Topham," Mr Peter Sam said while getting right to the chase. "Basically, the lead mines of the former Mid Sodor Railway contain several waste heaps. But those waste heaps appear to be good railway ballast, and they seem to kill weeds as well. So, I am proposing that the North Western Railway, the Skarloey Railway and the Culdee Fell Railway should capitalize on this possible opportunity and establish a joint venture. But a railway will have to be built on the line of the former Mid Sodor Railway so this ballast can be transported."

Sir Topham Hatt paused for a couple seconds as he thought about the offer. The idea had merit, but he did still have one concern. "About this idea of yours, who would even be in charge of this proposed railway?"

Mr Peter Sam brushed this off, not seeming too concerned with the question. "I shall get in touch with two acquaintances of mine and ask if they're interested in becoming involved with this new railway." Although he declined to say anything further for now, Mr Peter Sam knew full well that Mr Fergus Duncan would be a good fit as controller of this new railway, while Ivan Farrier would be the Chief Engineer.


	3. Indecision, Uncertainty, and Doubt

As BoCo took Edward to the works for repairs, he passed James at the station platform. But James glared viciously at BoCo and angrily blew steam at him while waiting for Sir Handel's train. BoCo felt hurt by this as he recalled some of the rarely seen steam engines doing this also whenever they saw diesels, angry and scared over being scrapped to make way for the more modern and efficient diesel locomotives. "Don't mind James," Edward said. "He'll get used to you with time." BoCo hoped Edward would turn out to be right, but he was secretly having doubts.

A couple weeks passed, and BoCo was still getting lots of angry looks from Donald and Douglas. But on the final day of his trial, James looked at BoCo with an angry expression on his face. "You may have proven yourself to some of the other engines, but I will never accept a diesel like yourself as part of this railway." He then headed to Knapford to pull a goods train, much to his loathing, but BoCo felt immensely hurt by what James said to him and he went to speak to the Fat Controller. Upon hearing this, the Fat Controller looked at him.

"So you're considering ending the trial early and going back to the mainland? Will you at least spend one last night on the island before making any final decisions?" He asked. BoCo agreed to this and headed to the Wellsworth Sheds. But on his way to the branch line, BoCo heard the warning whistle of a guard as some out of control Troublesome Trucks raced down the line. BoCo knew there was no time to waste and hurried after them. Now in front of the Troublesome Trucks, BoCo let out a gasp when he heard two whistles in the distance as he saw Donald and Douglas pulling a goods train a couple feet ahead of him.

The points were switched again as BoCo raced past the Scottish twins. But as the Troublesome Trucks continued pushing him onwards, BoCo felt his wheels start to leave the rails at the speed he was going. "Quickly! Get out of my cab and get to safety! I'll be fine!" BoCo's driver then jumped out of the cab a couple seconds before BoCo derailed and tipped onto his side. But this meant that the accident had caused the adjacent tracks to become blocked except for one. Feeling very pleased with themselves over causing an engine to derail, the Troublesome Trucks began laughing. To Donald and Douglas, it looked like BoCo had managed to prevent an accident that could have been much more serious.

The twin Scottish engines then stopped by BoCo while looking at him with stunned expressions. "Ur ye alrecht? We'll gie th' breakdoon train suin enaw sae ye can be pit back oan th' rails again." A couple minutes later, Donald and Douglas arrived with the breakdown train. Edward arrived as well, looking at BoCo with worry while he was placed on a flatbed in preparation for being taken to the works. Edward then took the undamaged Troublesome Trucks away and scolded them severely for causing an accident.

While the breakdown train cleared what remained off the rails, Donald and Douglas went towards the works while pulling BoCo's flatbed behind them. Upon arriving at the works, the Scottish twins were uncoupled from the flatbed and left to let the Fat Controller know what had happened. Meanwhile, BoCo was lifted off the flatbed by a gantry crane and set down on the rails so the workmen could check for damage sustained by using an inspection pit.

Midway through BoCo being inspected for damage, the Fat Controller arrived and made his way over. "A fine piece of work. For helping prevent a much more serious accident, how would you like it if I purchased you from your controller?" Smiling wearily at this, BoCo said yes. "Excellent! Then you shall become a permanent engine in the North Western Railway fleet. Now I'll get in touch with your controller and make arrangements at once." The Fat Controller then headed back to his office and got in touch with BoCo's controller. The workmen then began removing parts after spotting severe damage all over. Edward steamed in when upon hearing that he was at the works.

"Hey, I heard from Donald and Douglas what happened. Their drivers said the two engines looked like they saw a specter or something when you rushed past with that out of control train. But you did well handling them considering this is your last day on the island," Edward said sadly. But a surprised expression appeared on his face when he heard what BoCo said. "So you're staying on the island after all? Then we'll have to do something once you're all fixed up," Edward told him while heading back to his branch line. BoCo fell asleep for a bit while the workmen fixed him up.

Two months of work had passed by, and BoCo was now in brand new condition. His new engine was started up and his driver slowly moved him out of the works. Duck was nearing the end of his overhaul as well since he was slowly being put back together. But when his overhaul first began, Duck had fallen into a lengthy slumber and had yet to wake back up. But BoCo's driver had instructions from the Fat Controller to head to Knapford. Upon arriving at Knapford, BoCo was surprised by who all was there. Thomas, Edward, Henry, Percy, Toby, Bill, Ben, Daisy and Mavis were all below a banner that said, welcome back BoCo. Smiling at the sight, he looked at the other engines. "Thank you for this," he said to them.

Nearby, four tender engines were watching this while out of sight. Gordon silently watched with a cold expression on his face, James was glaring angrily at BoCo, but Donald and Douglas seemed more conflicted. Although Donald and Douglas were secretly thankful for BoCo preventing the Troublesome Trucks from crashing into their train, they still didn't trust him fully. "Imagine that, the Fat Controller allowing another diesel on the island after what happened with Diesel and Class 40," James hissed.

The Scottish twins glanced occasionally at BoCo with distrustful expressions since neither of them trusted diesel locomotives much. They would have been retired and scrapped in favor of diesels had they not made the long journey to Sodor. But what BoCo had done about two and a half months ago had changed their opinion on diesels somewhat.

Meanwhile, the Fat Controller sat in his office as he continued thinking about getting another engine that could be loaned to the North Western Railway temporarily until Duck's overhaul was close to being finished. But he let out a sigh and stood up. "Doesn't look like there are any available engines, so we'll have to make do somehow."

A couple weeks later, Duck's overhaul was now in its final stages, even though it wouldn't be completed for another month. Elsewhere, BoCo was pulling a goods train through Knapford. But he noticed Donald and Douglas waiting to leave the station and tried to avoid upsetting them. Another month passed, and there was one new thing happening on the North Western Railway. Duck's overhaul had finally been completed after many months of work. But as 1965 became 1966, there was still the harsh reality that British Rail was scrapping steam locomotives in favor of diesels.

One day in 1966, Duck slowly awoke as warmth began spreading through his boiler. But he soon heard a familiar whistle, noticing a blue tender engine steaming into the works. "It's certainly been a while, Duck," Edward said while glancing at him.

"I don't know if you're aware of this yet, but BoCo has been a real big help on my branch line. So the Fat Controller decided to permanently assign him there, which is good since now I'll have another helping buffer with keeping Bill and Ben in line. Just the other day, BoCo took some trucks to Tidmouth. Even though he's a friend of mine, he seems the reliable sort for a diesel."

Although Duck heard this, the pannier tank was slow to respond since his extensive overhaul had left a haze enveloping his mind. Taking Duck's silence for him not wanting to talk right now, Edward said goodbye to him and was reversed out of the works by his driver.

As he watched Edward leave, Duck was secretly in turmoil since he realized that BoCo acted nothing like Diesel or Class 40 because of what Edward said. The fact that not all diesels were boastful and acted superior to steam engines, it was a bit of a bitter pill for him to swallow. Nonetheless, he had to be the bigger engine about this and give BoCo a chance at least and see for himself the truth about BoCo.

It wasn't that he doubted what Edward said, Duck just wanted to see this for himself. But that would have to wait for now, since a workman began walking towards him. "Now Duck, Sir Topham Hatt wants you to undergo final adjustments sometime next week before returning to the mainline."

Duck merely made a noise in acknowledgement to what the workman said and gazed ahead, his mind currently elsewhere at the moment since he was thinking about a lot of stuff right now. Later in the day, there was a sudden loud noise as steam rapidly shot out of Duck's safety valve since the workmen wanted to be sure that it was working properly.

Over the next several hours, Duck was checked over quite thoroughly for anything that could possibly hamper his final adjustments next week. But the workmen decided to call it a night when it became dark and bid farewell to Duck as the works became a lot quieter. Although Duck fell asleep after 15 minutes, it did not appear to be too restful at the moment.


	4. Conflict, Tension, and Suspicion

One humid day in August of 1966, the Fat Controller was in the middle of organizing papers on his desk when there was an abrupt knock on his office door. Looking up, the Fat Controller was less than pleased. For the person turned out to be Dr Beeching, the main force behind the Beeching Axe. Countless railway lines and stations on the mainland were deemed unprofitable and promptly closed at his suggestion.

"Ah, I do hope I'm not interrupting you, Sir Topham." Without waiting for a response, Dr Beeching sat down and faced him. "It has come to my attention that there have been a couple incidents with the engines under your ownership. For example, number 5741 crashed into a barbershop while number 10 destroyed a brake van. As for number 1, he collided with a stationmaster's house while number 3, number 4 and number 5 refused to work and went on a strike over having to get their own trains ready."

Hearing this, the Fat Controller became more and more angry at the way Dr Beeching was just casually dehumanizing some of his engines. But Dr Beeching was far from finished. "Even if you have managed to keep this railway operating independently in spite of Nationalization, your railway is still the North Western Region of British Rail. So I suggest that you retire and replace your outdated steam engines in favor of more modern and economical diesels, or someone else will take your place as controller should you refuse to comply with what I said."

Standing up to leave, Dr Beeching paused and glanced over his shoulder to see that the Fat Controller was red in the face and clenching his fists in an attempt to keep his anger in check. "You practically enter my office and tell me what to do like you own the place? As far as I'm concerned, this conversation is over."

"I will not be told what to do on my railway. It doesn't matter if you visit every day for the next ten years and proceed to breathe down my neck, I will not replace the steam engines no matter what you say to me. So you can take your suggestion and stuff it, Dr Beeching. There's the door, do not set foot in my office again."

Going to say something else, he was cut off by the Fat Controller standing up without any warning and gazing at him severely. "Now listen here you, get the hell off of my railway right now!" The Fat Controller thundered with an intense anger rarely witnessed by his engines, let alone another person.

Unaware that a certain red engine had seen this, Dr Beeching's mouth formed a thin line and he promptly exited the Fat Controller's office. Walking along one of the platforms, Dr Beeching soon heard an loud whistle and barely had time to react before James angrily blew steam at him for several seconds. Coughing harshly, Dr Beeching blindly stumbled along the platform without being able to see where he was going. Although the Fat Controller saw this from his office, no move was made to intervene since he clearly deserved it in the Fat Controller's honest opinion.

Once he was far enough away and able to see again, Dr Beeching called for a taxi while glaring harshly at James for several seconds. "That engine needs a serious attitude adjustment. Perhaps some time spent in a scrapyard will curb that behavior of his." A couple minutes later, a taxi pulled up and promptly sped off once he was seated inside. The driver made no attempt at conversing with him, but Dr Beeching didn't mind one bit since he was still seething over James blasting him with steam.

The more he thought about why the Fat Controller and Dr Beeching were speaking with each other, the angrier James became as his steam pressure gradually rose in response, much to the concern of his driver and fireman since they thought his safety valve would burst at this rate. A few minutes passed, and James was only snapped out of his anger by two whistles as Donald and Douglas approached the station. "You two won't believe what I saw a couple minutes ago. Sir Topham Hatt was speaking with Dr Beeching in his office!" Both engines let out a shudder after hearing the name of the infamous culler of railways.

"Don't mention his name aroond us, Seumas! Loads o' oor brethren oan th' Caledonian Railway wur scrapped fur o' Dr Beeching!" Donald exclaimed with an alarmed expression on his face.

"Aye, it's true. We wid hae bin scrapped as weel hud baith o' us nae made th' perilous journey tae reach Sodor wi' hulp fae oor crews, young Seumas!" Douglas told James in a grim tone before the two Scottish twin engines left to carry out their next jobs. James eventually left Tidmouth as well, once his driver reminded him that he had to pull a passenger train in an hour. Blowing his whistle, the bright red engine set off to collect his coaches and be on time for the passengers.

The next morning, Thomas and Percy were slowly waking up as warmth gradually spread through their boilers. "Just don't go looking for breakfast at the stationmaster's house again, Thomas," Percy teased.

"At least I don't go asking the trucks to push me past a board," Thomas replied and lazily rolled his eyes. Percy's face turned a bright red as he recalled that incident vividly. But their temporary banter was soon broken by the third occupant of the Ffarquhar Sheds.

"Do you two mind? Waking up so early in the morning is bad for my swerves." Thomas and Percy said nothing, but soon glanced at each other as if getting an idea.

"Ah, looks like you're having trouble waking up. Never mind, Daisy. I'm sure that Champion the Bull will be more than willing to give you a sudden wake up call," Thomas said to her in a cheeky tone. What Thomas said had the desired effect, and Daisy's eyes snapped open much to Percy's amusement, who began snickering loudly at this.

Daisy glared at Percy, but he pretended to not see this. "Hey, Thomas. Maybe you should ask Champion if he wants some bulls-eyes!" Percy declared. Thomas laughed for a few seconds after hearing this, but Daisy decided not to bother further since she noticed her driver approaching the Ffarquhar Sheds.

But as the driver went to start Daisy up, there seemed to be something wrong since her engine was having trouble starting up. After a couple more failed attempts, the driver sighed and scratched his head. "I don't know what's wrong, Daisy. But you'll probably have to stay in the works for a while so the workmen can check you over for any issues."

The driver then turned to face Thomas and Percy. "I'll get in touch with the Fat Controller and see if another engine is available to temporarily fill in for Daisy."

In his office at Tidmouth, the Fat Controller was silently reflecting on everything that happened yesterday with Dr Beeching. So he practically jumped in surprised after hearing the phone ring. Picking up the phone, he swiftly steeled his tense nerves in an attempt to regain his composure.

"Sir Topham Hatt, here." Listening intently, he frowned as the driver told him about the unexpected predicament. "Alright, I'll ask BoCo if he can fill in for Daisy while the workmen check her over for any issues." Soon hanging up the phone, the Fat Controller stepped out of his office to stroll up and down the platform.

A minute later, a whistle was heard as Edward entered Tidmouth with some empty trucks. "Are you alright, Sir? There seems to be something on your mind."

Looking up, the Fat Controller eventually let out a sigh. Edward was the most trustworthy of his engines, so he started speaking. "It's about Dr Beeching. He showed up sometime yesterday, and suggested that I should replace the steam engines on the North Western Railway with diesels. So, I made my displeasure with that rather clear and told him to get off of my railway."

Edward listened to everything that was said and processed this information in his mind. "If I may suggest this, just don't pay any further attention to Dr Beeching and ignore him in the future, sir." The Fat Controller nodded, soon seeing what Edward was telling him.

"Hmm, that could just very well work. But Edward, I have a request of you. Could you take me to speak with BoCo? There's something that I need to discuss with him."

"Of course, sir. Ready whenever you are." Hearing this response, the Fat Controller nodded and entered Edward's cab. Sounding the whistle, Edward's driver soon opened the regulator and they set off for the Brendam Branch Line. An hour later, Edward's driver applied the brakes to make a stop at Wellsworth.

The driver then blew Edward's whistle to get BoCo's attention after noticing him arriving from the other direction with a goods train. Stopping at the platform, BoCo seemed baffled when he noticed the Fat Controller approaching him. "BoCo, I need you to head to the Ffarquhar Branch Line and fill in for Daisy since she's going to be in the works for a while."

"Of course, sir. I have to take these trucks there anyway." As his driver sounded the horn, he set off again with the goods train trailing behind him. A while later, BoCo was now halfway to his destination. But he stopped on one of the sidings at Knapford for some fuel. Soon ready to continue onwards, BoCo pulled out of the siding with his goods train. Another hour passed, and he finally made it to Elsbridge at the same time as Thomas and Percy, who were pulling Daisy behind them.

"Hey, at least you made it here finally. But Toby and Mavis could really use your help at Anopha Quarry. So just leave your trucks on a siding and we'll return for them after Daisy's been taken to the works," Percy's driver told BoCo while the two steam engines passed through Elsbridge. BoCo soon told his driver about this, but received nothing but silence for a few seconds.

"Hmm, I'd better call Sir Topham Hatt to be sure." Placing another call, the driver gave his answer to BoCo a couple minutes later. "He didn't seem to have a problem with it, so it looks like we're continuing on towards Anopha Quarry." After he was uncoupled from the trucks, BoCo set off for Anopha Quarry to help out Toby and Mavis.

As fast as he could go while still staying within the speed limit, BoCo quickly made his way towards Anopha Quarry. Surprisingly, it only took 15 more minutes to get there. Upon arriving, he soon noticed that Toby and Mavis seemed completely exhausted. But they quickly forced themselves to smile after noticing BoCo.

"Thank goodness, maybe now we'll have an easier time of getting all these trucks in order." Although Toby told BoCo how he wanted the trucks sorted, BoCo was very confused by the end of it.

"I'm not trying to criticize you or anything, but maybe you could show me instead of explaining?" Toby soon obliged to this request after his small tanks were replenished with water. Under Toby's careful guidance, BoCo learned which sidings the trucks were meant to be on.

Over the next two hours, all three engines guided the trucks to their proper sidings. Once everything was neat and orderly, BoCo paused for a few seconds since he now felt rushed off his wheels. "Man, I don't know how the two of you put up with this every day," he said to them.

"It takes a lot of practice. But we could use some more help managing things here on a daily basis. Thomas and Percy don't nearly stop here often enough for us to stay on top of things at Anopha Quarry," Mavis replied. But a voice soon interrupted her. It turned out to be the manager of the Ffarquhar Quarry Company.

"I understand that both of you are struggling with the current workload. So I'll make a call to Sir Topham Hatt and see what the two of us can arrange so you'll have some help here." At this news, both Toby and Mavis clearly had relief evident on their faces.

But by this time, the sun was starting to go down. As the sky changed from red, orange and pink to varying shades of black and blue, BoCo realized that he would be spending a night in the same sheds with Mavis for the first time since his initial arrival on the Island of Sodor almost a year ago. Quickly falling asleep, BoCo didn't notice that she seemed to stay up a while longer while thinking about what tomorrow would hold. But eventually, Mavis fell asleep as well for the night.


	5. Curiosity, Breaking Point, Clarity

It was now the year 1967 on the Island of Sodor. And a couple new things were happening. The recently named Arlesdale Railway had been completed a week prior, and three small engines had been acquired to manage the traffic. Their names were Mike, Rex, and Bert.

At the moment, Duck was resting on a siding when he noticed Donald and Douglas approaching with some trucks. "Hey you two, it's been a while. What's that in your trucks?"

"Didn't ye ken aboot that yit, Duck? It's ballast! Some wee engines bring it down from the hills." Donald then decided not to say anything further, but Douglas spoke up next.

"Aye, you'll juist hae tae fin' oot whit Donnie means fur yersel'. Fur war certainly nae aff tae gie it awa', Duck." Donald and Douglas then continued onwards with their train of ballast. Duck merely blinked in response, unsure of what else to say.

Later, Duck had a word with his driver. "Donald and Douglas told me earlier about some small engines. Could you get in touch with Sir Topham Hatt and ask if it's alright for me to take some trucks and meet those engines for myself?" The driver paused, thinking about his answer.

"I don't see why not, but I'd better check with him just to be sure that there won't be any problems with that," his driver replied. Stepping inside a phone booth, the driver had his answer about ten minutes later. "Come on, then. Let's go and see for ourselves, Duck."

Sounding Duck's whistle, the driver opened the regulator and they set off with a couple trucks trailing behind them. But the fireman made sure to keep a careful eye on the fire and the water level in the boiler, because a boiler explosion could happen with any engine should the water level drop below a certain point in the boiler. Needless to say, the results would be catastrophic for both engine and crew.

Finally, Duck reached his destination and was slowly brought to a stop by the driver. He soon frowned after realizing that there weren't any engines nearby.

"What do you think of our 'chute?" Said a voice. "Good, isn't it?"

Duck blinked. Next to him was a small green engine. "Where did you spring from?" asked Duck.

"I've been here all the time," smiled the small engine. "I'm Rex, and you, I'm sure, are Duck."

"How did you know?" Duck asked in disbelief.

"That's easy, those two Scottish engines told me that there's only one Great Western engine in these parts." Duck's fireman soon interrupted.

"No time to stay and chat, I'm afraid. We've got to take these trucks down to the China Clay Pits so they can be loaded up."

"Oh," Rex said. But he quickly forced a smile on his face to hide his disappointment. "Well, be sure to come again soon whenever you're next able."

"Of course," Duck replied and whistled goodbye to Rex as he set off for the China Clay Pits. Rex whistled back at the bigger engine, watching him leave. Four days later, Rex was pushing some loaded trucks onto the chute when he heard a familiar whistle. Duck was brought to a stop just beyond the chute so his empty trucks could be loaded up with ballast.

"Looks like you made it back here, Duck." Rex then heard two other whistles approaching, knowing full well who they were. "Duck, these are the other two engines I work with. The blue engine is Bert. But I would do well to take no notice of the red grouch next to Bert, otherwise known as Mike." Mike's face soon turned as red as his paintwork, and it seemed like his safety valve would go off.

Duck soon proceeded to glance around for a few seconds, coming to a conclusion rather quickly. "Um, where are the passengers at?" He asked.

"We don't have any," Mike retorted sharply in a rather blunt tone. "Good riddance if you ask me. I'd rather take goods trains over passengers any day," Mike grumbled.

Hearing this, Duck began thinking to himself. "Well, he certainly is the complete opposite of Gordon and James in that regard," Duck mused quietly, knowing full well that Gordon and James both despised having to pull goods trains. He soon looked at the three of them again. "Tell you what, I'll bring some passengers for you all the next time I visit. How does that sound?"

While Rex and Bert seemed eager at the thought of passengers visiting the Arlesdale Railway, Mike only grumbled to himself and steamed off in a huff, the empty trucks behind him banging into each other roughly after his abrupt start. By now, Duck was ready to depart with his train of trucks since they were loaded up.

A while later, BoCo was taking some trucks along the mainline. But as he passed through Henry's Tunnel, BoCo started to feel that something was wrong when he started losing speed all of a sudden. He tried to struggle on, but it was in vain since his engine malfunctioned and caused him to break down a couple feet further up the line.

Soon, the driver went to go phone for help when he heard a fast approaching whistle and paled. BoCo recognized the whistle as well, and grimaced. "Oh, no. Why did I have to break down right in the middle of the express line? Gordon could hit us from behind at any moment!"

"Driver, I want you to try and sound my horn in an attempt to warn Gordon!" BoCo ordered, knowing that there was no time to waste. Nodding, the driver scrambled into the cab and began sounding BoCo's horn to try and warn Gordon. Having left Vicarstown a few minutes before, Gordon was making good time with the Wild Nor' Wester as he raced towards Tidmouth at high speed.

But as he drew closer and closer to Henry's Tunnel, Gordon began to hear an odd noise. It seemed to be a horn that was sounded several times in short succession. Gordon gasped, realizing that it was a warning. "Driver, brakes, now! There's something on the line ahead! We'll end up crashing into it at this rate if you don't slow me down!"

Thinking quickly, Gordon's driver closed the regulator and applied the brakes. Gordon felt himself gradually slowing down to 35 miles per hour compared to the 75 miles per hour he had been going at before. But his face soon turned pale as Henry's Tunnel got closer and closer. "Driver, it doesn't look like we're going to stop in time!" His driver then pulled the whistle cord as his engine passed through Henry's Tunnel, warning whoever was on the line ahead.

Then, Gordon noticed a brake van and a couple trucks blocking the express line. But since he was still moving at 30 miles per hour, Gordon knew that this collision was unavoidable. Closing his eyes, he crashed into the brake van and collided with a few of the trucks as well, only stopping completely once he had derailed.

"What were you thinking, blocking the line like that, BoCo?" Gordon demanded. The express line should be clear at all times instead of engines dawdling about and causing other engines to crash into their trains! Now the Wild Nor' Wester is going to be late!"

Hearing this, BoCo became fed up with Gordon's attitude towards him. "I wasn't intentionally blocking the line! I broke down, I can't do anything about my mechanical failures! My driver was about to phone for help, when your whistle was heard in the distance. If I hadn't told him to sound my horn as a warning, your passengers could have been hurt, or worse! Did you think about that, Gordon?"

"And for another thing, why are you acting like this towards me after what I did to stop Bill and Ben from tormenting you after they threatened to dump you in the sea?" Had BoCo been looking at Gordon, he would have noticed that the express engine seemed to be rendered speechless by BoCo's words.

BoCo soon forced himself to calm down a little, though he was still quite angry with Gordon. "Look, I know you don't have the best history with my kind. But I am not like Diesel, despite what you may think. How can I prove that to you steam engines, if most of you won't give me the chance to do so?"

Gordon went to say something, but BoCo wasn't finished yet. "Why am I judged for Diesel's actions, despite the fact that I am nothing like him? Thomas, Edward, Percy, Toby, Bill and Ben have accepted me as part of this railway along with Skarloey, Rheneas and Peter Sam. Even Henry and Duck have warmed up to me somewhat."

"But James, along with Donald and Douglas, you three still remain closed off towards me, even though it's been two years since I first arrived on this island. Instead of giving me the chance to prove that I am not like Diesel, the Scottish twins and James rebuff my attempts and ignore my efforts."

Gordon felt shame swirl through his boiler as he reflected on BoCo's words. Much as he loathed to admit it, BoCo did have a point. He had tried to prove that he was different from Diesel, but his efforts were shot down by James and the Scottish Twins without a second thought.

"Yes, you indeed have a point, BoCo," Gordon admitted. This surprised the diesel since he wasn't expecting the express engine to swallow his pride and say something like this. Although BoCo saw that he was starting to get through to Gordon, he decided to say nothing. And so, the two engines were silent for quite some time until help arrived.

Two whistles sounded out as Henry arrived with the breakdown train while James was pulling some flatbeds behind him. Soon, the cranes swung around to place Gordon back on the rails. A while later, Henry took BoCo to be mended at the works while James was coupled up to Gordon and the express coaches.

At the works, Duck was undergoing some routine maintenance as the workmen checked him over to make sure he was still in working order after his overhaul had been completed. A few minutes later, he heard the blast of a whistle as Henry arrived with a broken down BoCo.

"Oh, dear. What happened to you?" Duck asked while glancing at the diesel.

"I broke down on the mainline, and Gordon ended up crashing into my train a short while later," BoCo replied. Henry then whistled as he was reversed out of the works by his driver. Duck winced at this, and hoped that no one had been hurt in the crash.

But soon, Duck thought of something and started speaking to BoCo. "Say, BoCo. Have you heard of the Arlesdale Railway, by any chance?" Duck asked. When the diesel answered by saying he hadn't, the Pannier tank engine began telling him of the events that unfolded.

BoCo listened intently, occasionally letting out a laugh at certain points of the recollection. From Bert paying out some visitors after he thought they drenched him with muddy water on purpose, to Mike losing his whistle after trying to shoo a cow off the line, to Rex derailing after he hit some bales of wool.

By the end, BoCo felt much better compared to his earlier mood when he had grown fed up with Gordon's attitude towards him at Henry's Tunnel.


	6. Reunion, Super Rescue, Place to Belong

After spending a couple weeks in the works following their accident, both BoCo and Gordon had been mended. But the next morning in the sheds, Gordon was far from pleased as he built up steam. His mood was not improved by James and Henry waking up.

"Well, someone's looking grumpy this morning. I always said that you take on too much water." Gordon was in no mood to be teased by James.

"Bah! Nothing of the sort, little James! It could happen to any engine." James was indignant at being called little, and went to say something when Henry interrupted.

"Hmm, I know why you're in a bad mood. You must have some boiler sludge from that dodgy water tower on the mainland. Why not have a good washout? You'll feel a different engine."

"You're one to talk about boiler sludge, Henry. I probably got it from you and your special coal."

Henry snorted. "Rubbish! I haven't needed that special coal since my rebuild at Crewe."

BoCo, the fourth occupant of the shed, was woken up by the three tender engines. But he decided it was too soon for this, and attempted to settle back to sleep until his driver arrived. Except BoCo wouldn't get this chance since his driver arrived at the sheds a few minutes later.

"Come on, BoCo. It's time we got to work." BoCo soon left for the Brendam Branch Line to organize trucks at the China Clay Pits while keeping an eye on Bill and Ben to make sure they didn't get up to their usual mischief. James watched him leave, still harboring an intense dislike towards the diesel even though two years had passed since he first arrived on Sodor.

Once he had sufficiently built up steam, Gordon left to pull the Wild Nor' Wester. But the reason for his poor mood would soon become clear as he arrived at the platform that the express departed from. The Fat Controller was nearby when he noticed Gordon's poor mood. "What's the matter, Gordon? Is there something on your mind?"

"I recently heard something concerning about my brothers and sisters from the former London and North Eastern Railway. Apparently, they've all been scrapped to make way for diesels. Please tell me it's not true, sir. I can't be the only example of my class left."

The Fat Controller hesitated at first, looking uncertain about whether or not he should tell the truth to Gordon. Several classes of steam engines had already been scrapped to make way for diesels. By 1968, it didn't look as if any steam engines would be operating on the Other Railway. But soon, he decided to just tell the truth.

"Unfortunately, Gordon, it is true." Gordon's expression then changed, turning somber as he started thinking about his many brothers and sisters from the former LNER. Lemberg, Pretty Polly, Doncaster, Diamond Jubilee, Papyrus, Sir Frederick Banbury, even Great Northern.

"However, I have heard that one of your brothers managed to survive into preservation. He's known as the Flying Scotsman, and his owner is a man by the name of Alan Pegler. To cheer you up, I shall arrange for the Flying Scotsman to visit Sodor."

Now, Gordon began feeling much better because of this news. "Oh, thank you sir. I shall be looking forward to it." Henry overheard this from an adjacent platform, and began to grow jealous.

"What's so special about the Flying Scotsman? All that fame probably caused him to get all puffed up in the smokebox," Henry grumbled under his breath, thinking that Flying Scotsman would be the type of engine to boast. This went unheard by Gordon, who soon departed once the guard had blown his whistle and his green flag.

A couple days later, Duck was taking on water in the yard. But he noticed that Henry was grumbling to himself. "Why does the Flying Scotsman get two tenders and I don't? I deserve a second tender as well," he fumed.

BoCo heard this as well while arriving with a train of empty tankers, but Duck saw an opportunity to trick Henry. Sure, it wasn't exactly the Great Western way, but he decided to go through with his plan regardless.

"Henry, how would you like my tenders?" Duck asked while glancing at him.

Henry snorted in response, soon turning his attention to the tank engine. "You?! What does a tank engine need tenders for when they've got no use for them?"

Duck pretended to look hurt. "Alright, the deal's off. I shall take my offer elsewhere. Perhaps James or Donald would want them instead." But as Duck went to leave, a frantic Henry interrupted.

"I'm sorry I was rude! How many tenders do you have? And when can I have them?" Duck proceeded to think for a moment so Henry wouldn't catch on.

"I've got six tenders in total. And I'll give them to you this evening," Duck said to Henry.

"Six lovely tenders all for me! That will be nice." Duck waited until Henry was far enough away, and soon began laughing.

But BoCo frowned, soon looking at the Pannier Tank. "Duck, are you sure that it's a good idea to trick Henry? Somehow I don't think he'll take it too well," BoCo cautioned.

"Everything will be fine, BoCo. And besides, even if Henry realizes that I tricked him, I can handle the big engines just fine. I already did that once before, after all." But Duck was referring to the time that he barred Henry, Gordon and James from entering the sheds with help from Percy.

Later on, BoCo had to take a passenger train to Vicarstown. Stopping at one of the platforms, he heard a whistle in the distance that gradually grew louder. The passengers heard this as well, and soon exited the coaches so they would be able to get a closer look.

A few minutes later, the whistle was heard again. But it sounded a lot closer this time. As BoCo's passengers lined the platform, a steam engine could be seen approaching Vicarstown. Stopping at an adjacent platform, the visiting engine was enveloped in a cloud of steam that faded after a couple minutes.

On both sides of his cab, was the crest of the now defunct London and North Eastern Railway. He even had two tenders behind him. LNER could be clearly seen on the first tender, but the second tender had the number 4472 on it. The sunlight even made his apple green paint stand out. "It's the Flying Scotsman!" One passenger exclaimed.

A couple minutes went by, and another whistle was heard as Gordon approached Vicarstown with the Wild 'Nor Wester. But he noticed all the people standing on an adjacent platform, and looked to see what was going on. It was then, that Gordon noticed his only surviving brother, Flying Scotsman.

It was almost time for BoCo to depart, when he heard someone speaking to him. "Hello there. If it's not too much to ask for, could you show me where the closest sheds are? I was wanting to rest after my long journey here." Now, BoCo began feeling real nervous since the famous Flying Scotsman had actually asked him a question.

"Don't overwhelm him, brother. He doesn't seem to be used to getting attention from famous engines. Luckily, I've got some time before I have to take my next train, so how about I show you the sheds?" Glancing over at Gordon, the Flying Scotsman smiled and soon agreed.

After being uncoupled from their trains, Gordon and the Flying Scotsman set off. Once they arrived, both engines took on coal and water. Afterwards, the Flying Scotsman backed down next to Gordon and glanced at him. "You've changed a lot!"

"I had a rebuild at Crewe. They didn't do a proper Doncaster job of course, but it serves."

"I had a rebuild too and looked hideous. But my owner said I was an extra special engine and made them give me back my proper shape."

"Is that why you have two tenders, being special?"

"No, you'd hardly believe it Gordon, but over there they hardly have any coal and water."

"But surely, every proper railway!"

"Exactly. You are lucky Gordon, to have a controller who knows how to run railways."

Later on, once the day's work had been finished, a few of the engines had gathered at Tidmouth at Duck's request. Among them was BoCo, James, Duck, Gordon and the Flying Scotsman. Even Donald and Douglas were there. In the distance, a whistle was heard. "Here he comes everyone," Duck said.

Trying to avoid being noticed, was none other than a red faced Henry, who was pulling six old tenders filled with boiler sludge. James, Donald and Douglas seemed to find the scene highly amusing, if their laughter was any indication.

Soon passing by Duck, Henry heard a voice speaking. "Hey, Henry. Why not have a good washout? You'll feel a different engine." Henry wasn't sure about this, but he thought the voice was Gordon.

Over the next couple days, the amount of trains increased to where even the Flying Scotsman was worn out. "Whew, I haven't been worked this hard since the LNER became involved in World War 2," he said while resting at a station platform. Overhearing this, the Fat Controller decided to remedy this problem by giving two engines a trial.

Both engines were diesels, but one wore the number 199 while the second wore the number 7101. Both engines arrived a week later. As James and Duck built up steam in the sheds one day, D199 started speaking after he finished surveying the sheds. "It's time, 7101, that we took this railway over."

"Nonsense, 199. It's their railway after all," 7101 told him.

"Not for long," persisted 199. "Our controller says steam engines spoil our image."

"Image indeed!" Duck burst out. "Of course we do! We show what frauds you boastful diesels are," he exclaimed while glancing at D199. "Call yourself an engine? If anything happens, you care nothing for your trains, you just moan for a fitter. We bring them home, if only on one cylinder."

"Nothing ever happens to us," boasted 199. "We, are reliable unlike you outdated steam engines. Steam engines on the Other Railway are making way for us diesels, you lot should do the same as well since the age of steam is at an end." Duck and James both let off steam angrily, causing D199 to cough. "How rude," said 199.

"You asked for it," retorted 7101. "Now shut up." Later on, D199 was taking on fuel when he noticed BoCo entering the goods yard with some trucks.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see another diesel on this railway belonging to that backwards thinking controller. The age of steam is at an end, yet those worn out kettles are still kept in service here. Us fellow diesels must prove that steam engines are inferior to our kind. You must agree with what I say, unlike the steam loving 7101."

"Worn out? Kettles?" BoCo interrupted indignantly. "They work twice as hard as you boastful diesels, even if they don't feel well. Now, I've got nothing further to say to you." And with that, BoCo set off once more, leaving a seething D199 behind.

The next day, Henry was rolling home tender first since his regulator had jammed after Duck tricked him with those six tenders filled with boiler sludge.

"I'm a failed engine," he said to himself. "Lost my regulator, driver says it jammed wide open. And he can't mend it until I'm cool. However, I've got steam. And driver can use my reverser, but it would happen after Duck fooled me with those tenders. Now they all laugh at me again."

He reached a signal box and stopped, whistling to alert the signalman. Opposite the signal box, on the other line, stood Diesel 199 with a train of oil tankers. "Things just get worse and worse," thought Henry. "Now Old Reliable will laugh at me too."

The signalman soon exited the signal box. "Good timing, Henry. Take this Spamcan away, it's failed. The Limited is behind, and all he does is wail for his fitter."

"Spamcan?" Fumed 199. "I'm-"

"Stow it," snapped the signalman. "Or I'll take my tin opener to you," he joked. D199 subsided at this dreadful threat, and Henry pulled the train out of the way. 199 didn't help, he just sulked. The Limited, which was being pulled by 7101, rushed by with a growl and a roar.

Henry gave a chuckle. "Look Spamcan, there's your little pal." Diesel 199 said nothing, he hoped 7101 hadn't noticed. 7101 hadn't noticed, he had troubles of his own. He was cross with his coaches, they seemed to be getting heavier. The reason being that his injector had failed and caused air to start leaking into the brake pipe.

Struggling on for half a mile, 7101 eventually ground to a halt, unable to move a wheel. "It looks like we'll have to help with this train as well," Henry's driver said. "You think you're up for it, old boy?"

"I'll give it a good try," Henry replied. "And anyway, 7101 is better than old Spamcan." Soon moving forward again, Henry stopped in front of the last coach so his front brake pipe could be connected to the coaches.

"It's better than we thought Henry," said his driver. "7101 can help pull, if we leave the brakes off. So the only weight we'll have, is Spamcan and his goods train."

Henry sighed in relief at this news. "That's a relief." 7101 heard everything even though he was at the front of the train, and soon started speaking.

"Are you ready?" 7101 asked while sounding his horn.

"Yes I am," Henry replied while his driver sounded his whistle. And so, the long train set off once more. Both Henry and 7101 worked their hardest until they arrived at the next station. Donald and the Flying Scotsman both whistled at Henry as he passed. While the Limited stopped at the platform, Spamcan and his train trailed far behind.

The passengers exited the coaches, far from pleased about the delay. But the Fat Controller told them about Henry, so they forgot to be cross and thanked Henry instead. They called him an enterprising engine, and took his photograph. The passengers were even more thrilled, when the Flying Scotsman backed down to take their train.

Donald took the goods train. "Return 199 to the Other Railway," ordered a rather displeased Fat Controller. "I will write my views later."

Soon, Donald set off with the goods train and Spamcan, while Henry headed for the works with 7101. The first few minutes of the journey went by in silence, but 7101 eventually decided to start speaking as a means to pass the time until they both arrived at the works.

"I'm sorry about last night," he said to Henry.

"That's alright, you did shut Old Reliable up."

"And, made a fool of myself today too."

"Rubbish! A failed injector might happen to anyone. I lost my regulator."

"You? Failed?" 7101 asked with a surprised expression on his face. "And yet." His voice trailed away in admiration.

"Well," said Henry. "Emergency, you know. Trains must get through." 7101 said no more for the remainder of the trip to the works, he had a lot to think about.

Later that night, Douglas had to take a goods train to the Other Railway. Donald, his twin, was worried.

"Dae ye pure hae tae lea fur that dreadful steid? Thay don't lik' steam engines, efter a'. I'm worried aboot ye, Douglas. Whit if thay end up daein' something tae ye while you're ower thare? Ah can't lose ye, Douglas. You're mah brother, sae come back safe, a'richt?"

"O' coorse, Donald. I'll be back afore ye ken it. Wance I'm uncoupled fae that goods train, I'll lea as quickly as ah kin. Bit efter this, ah wouldn't gang back tae that steid even if ah hud twenty engines wi' me." Douglas then set off, Donald watching with a worried expression on his face.

Several hours later, Douglas arrived at his destination, the ever foreboding Other Railway. Numerous diesels eyed him up as he was braked to a stop. "We don't take too kindly to steam engines in these parts. Just leave that goods train where it is and get out of here."

"I'm nae staying 'ere ony langer than ah hae tae. Ye diesels need this dreadful ither railway sae ill? Th' hail lot o' ye kin keep it a' fur yourselves." Douglas was soon uncoupled from the goods train, preparing for the long journey back to Sodor. But as Douglas stopped by one of the few remaining water towers on the Other Railway, he heard a hissing sound.

"W- who's thare? Wha made that sudden noise?" He asked in a quiet voice while looking around nervously. The noise didn't seem to have been noticed by any of the diesels. Then, he heard the hissing noise again. "That soonds lik' a steam engine," he said after listening closer.

Soon, a voice whispered to him. "Did you come here from the Fat Controller's railway?" The voice asked.

"Aye, 'n' proud o' it," Douglas replied.

"Thank goodness. I'm Oliver, and we're escaping for your railway. But I have no more coal, and ran out of steam."

"Is it fae scrap that you're escaping?"

"Yes," Oliver replied in a nervous voice.

"Then it's glad I'll be tae hulp ye. Bit there's na time tae footer about, nae whin thae diesels ur currently aroond." Both crews joined in, they removed Oliver's side rods, wrote out transit labels, and chalked the word "scrap" everywhere they could.

Soon, Douglas was coupled up to Oliver. "Na time tae caw aroond, I'll hae tae return tae Sodor wi' ye while gaun in reverse." But shortly after beginning to move backwards, Douglas and Oliver were spotted by a passing diesel, who proceeded to blast his horn as a warning to let nearby workers what was going on.

Oliver was now even more nervous, but Douglas continued on. "Tak' na notice o' that diesel," Douglas told Oliver. But they were soon stopped by some workmen on the Other Railway.

"And what's going on here?" A foreman asked while walking up. Shining his flashlight on Oliver, he soon figured it out. "Ah, an engine from the Western Region." He then proceeded to shine his flashlight further back. "An Autocoach also from the Western Region, and a brake van too. You can't take these."

"Och aye? They're a' fur us, gang 'n' see fur yersel' if that's whit you're aff tae dae." Douglas then noticed his driver handing the necessary papers to the foreman.

The foreman examined them closely for several tense minutes. But Oliver's crew, hiding in the Autocoach, dared not move or make a sound. "Seems in order," the foreman grudgingly said several minutes later. "But it's strange."

"Sure, it seems that wey. Bit ah cuid tell ye stranger," the guard said.

"So could I," interrupted the foreman. "Right, off you go then."

Douglas then set off again, letting out a sigh of relief. "Ah thought we wid hae failed in making it awa' fae that steid, bit th' wirst is ower noo."

"We've had worse," Oliver replied. "We had to rely on signalmen who would help us out along the way. But we also had to watch out for passing trains. We got on well, until some people from the Other Railway heard about us. Then, the diesels began trying to hunt us down."

"That soonds real dangerous, whit did ye dae?"

"A signalman let us hide on an old branch line that had been disused for some time. Then my crew used whatever they could find to keep us from being seen. We stayed there for days." As the two engines talked, Douglas eventually recognized his surroundings after several hours, which meant they were back on Sodor.

"Wur hame! Thay can't catch ye noo." At this news, a bell started ringing, which surprised Douglas.

But Oliver soon chuckled. "That's Isabel. There's a bell on her, you see. She's clever. When we went out together, I pull one way, and push the other. When I pull, I can see ahead. When I push, I can't. So Isabel keeps a good lookout, and rings her bell to talk to me." Douglas was impressed.

"Weel, ye don't say. Bit aboot this, Toad ye mentioned, he hasn't hardly said anythin' th' entire way." Douglas was then interrupted by his driver.

"Stop speaking 'n' haud yer wheesht, wur at th' wirks noo. We noo hae tae fin' a steid 'ere fur Oliver, 'n' slip him in unbeknownst tae th' workmen." Douglas tried his hardest to keep quiet, but the night foreman heard them, and had to be let in on their secret.

"I know just the place," he said while pointing out an empty siding that was well hidden. Oliver said goodbye and thank you to Douglas, watching him puff away.

"Oliver's an enterprising engine," Douglas thought. "Ah began heading tae this island wi' Donnie, bit ah wid hae bin tae feart tae dae it oan mah ain."

A while later, Douglas arrived back just in time to see the Flying Scotsman take his enthusiasts home. Thanking the Flying Scotsman and his owner, Alan Pegler for their help, the Fat Controller soon addressed the enthusiasts. "Please tell everyone, that whatever happens elsewhere, steam will still be at work here."

"We shall be glad to welcome all who want to see and travel behind real engines." This announcement was greeted with cheers, and the Flying Scotsman departed for the Other Railway with Alan Pegler waving to both people and other engines while in the cab.

Donald and Douglas then sounded their whistles as a farewell gesture to the Flying Scotsman, Duck soon joining in along with Gordon and James. At last, Douglas could tell some of the other engines his news. Gordon, James, Duck and Donald all agreed that something must be done about Oliver, but none knew what.

Thinking it over for a few minutes, Douglas eventually came up with an idea. "Ah fear that some diesel fae ower thare shall turn up tae tak' Oliver back tae that awfy steid while wur a' asleep. We need tae hae anither deputation oan Oliver's behauf, juist lik' whit ye three tender engines did fur me 'n' Donnie wi' hulp fae Percy 'n' Duck," Douglas told them.

"You're right," said James. "He won't be safe, until the Fat Controller knows."

"Douglas should tell him at once," Gordon added in a firm tone.

"Ye a' think ah shuid speak tae th' controller aboot this? He micht see it as me interfering or something."

"Well, here he is," a voice said suddenly. "Now what's all this about?" All five engines gulped nervously, looking to see the Fat Controller walking towards them.

Duck broke the awkward silence. "Beg pardon, sir. But we do need another engine."

"I agree Duck, that is why I'm giving 7101 another chance." Their faces showed such dismay, that the Fat Controller had difficulty with his own.

"Sir," said Gordon as last. "We had hoped for a real engine."

"Unfortunately, Gordon, such engines are rare in these changing times. But unless one escapes, there's little hope."

"Bit sur," interrupted Donald. "Thare is an engine that did escape!"

"And thanks to Douglas, he's now at our works," announced the Fat Controller.

"Sur," gasped Douglas. "Is thare anythin' ye don't ken?"

"More than you think," he laughed. "Oliver's crew told me everything you did, Douglas."

"Bit, sur? If ye see a helpless engine lik' Oliver, 'n' he's in danger o' bein' scrapped, ye hae tae huv a go everything ye kin tae hulp an engine in that situation."

"I quite understand," he replied while holding up his hand. "I'm proud of you, Douglas. Oliver, Isabel and Toad will soon be ours. Oliver and Isabel are just what we need on the Arlesburgh Branch Line after it's been reopened." The engines cheered at this news. "And Toad wants to be your brake van, Douglas."

"Cheers, sur. Ah hoped for that, he 'n' ah wull git alang weel fae noo oan." That, of course, made everything right. Over time, Thomas, Edward, Percy, Toby, Duck, Daisy, Mavis, BoCo, Bill and Ben warmed up to 7101 and accepted him as part of the North Western Railway.

But while Henry and Gordon took a bit longer to warm up to 7101, James, Donald and Douglas still didn't seem like they trusted him much. It was understandable with Donald and Douglas, since they were still wary of diesels after their own escape from scrap. But James refused to forget what Diesel did back in 1957, and thought that all diesels were like him.

7101 finds them to be different from the engines on the Other Railway. But much more interesting, he is now quite a useful engine. They teased him at first because of his growling engine, and said he was like a bear. He still growls, not because he's cross, but because he can't help it.

The engines jokingly called him Bear, but the name stuck. He quite likes the name. "It's nicer than just a number," he says. "Having a name, means you really belong." The Fat Controller soon had Oliver, Isabel and Toad mended and painted in full Great Western colors.

Then he rescued three more Great Western Autocoaches. Alice and Mirabel were given to Duck, while Oliver received Dulcie. Duck and Oliver are happy on their branch line, it runs along the coast to the Arlesdale Railway. "We reopen branch lines," they would often say, feeling very proud.

The others laughed at first, and called their branch line, The Little Western. Duck and Oliver were both delighted. And now, no one ever thinks of calling it anything else.

Elsewhere, Dr. Beeching was thinking over what he had found out rather recently. "So, Sir Topham has acquired another steam engine from the long defunct Great Western Railway? That fool is stuck in the past."

"Steam engines belong only in the history books. If he refuses to get with the times and replace every last one of his steam engines with diesel traction, then perhaps it is time to have control of that railway forcibly taken away from him. Then, every last steam engine he owns will be nothing but mere scrap."


	7. Hubris, Comeuppance, and a Revelation

The Fat Controller, has reopened a branch line. It runs along the coast by sandy beaches and seaside towns until it meets the Arlesdale Railway at a port where big ships arrive. As Duck had made friends with Mike, Rex and Bert, who run the Arlesdale Railway, the Fat Controller asked him to take charge. "Your work in the yard has been good," he said kindly. "How'd you like to have a branch line of your own?"

"Yes please, sir!" Said Duck.

"Very well," said the Fat Controller. "I hope you will work hard and be a credit to me." Duck is very proud of his branch line, and he works very hard. His two coaches, Alice and Mirabel, are painted in Great Western colors. They take passengers to the Arlesdale Railway. Duck also has some trucks, in which he hauls away the ballast that the small engines bring down from their valley.

The Fat Controller uses this ballast for his railway. But Duck can't do all the work himself, so Donald and Douglas take turns to help him. The Fat Controller has built them a shed at a station by the small railway. Duck felt his responsibility deeply, he talked endlessly about it. "You don't understand, Donald, how much the Fat Controller relies on me."

"Och, aye," muttered Donald sleepily.

"I'm Great Western, and-"

"Quack, quack, quack."

"What?"

"Ye heard. Quack, quack, ye gang. Soonds lik' you'd an egg leid. Noo wheesht, 'n' let an engine kip."

"Quack yourself!" Said Duck, indignantly. He stayed awake, wondering how to pay Donald out. At last, he said to himself sleepily, "I'll ask driver in the morning." The next morning, Duck's driver and fireman arrived to prepare him for the day's work. "Donald says, I quack as if I'd laid an egg. Let's pay him out!"

"Quack, do you?" His fireman pondered. "I know," he said, whispering something to Duck. Duck suppressed his laughter, so as to not accidentally wake Donald up. But Duck's driver slapped his leg in delight.

"Just right!" Duck's driver exclaimed. He dearly loved a joke. That night, when Donald was asleep, they popped something into his water tank. "We've done it," the driver whispered to Duck, glancing at the fireman.

"I won't hurt her, will I?" Asked Duck anxiously.

"Bless you, no! They're both kind men, she'll come to no harm," Duck's fireman assured. The next morning, Donald's crew found themselves in for a surprise as they went to fill Donald's tender with water. A ducking had popped out of Donald's water tank. Both driver and fireman stared in surprise, but Donald laughed.

"Na doubt at a' who's behind this," he said, and told them what had happened in the shed. The duckling was time, she shared the driver's and fireman's sandwiches, and rode in the tender, quacking at intervals. The other engines enjoyed teasing Donald about her. Presently however, she hopped off at a station. And as they couldn't wait to catch her, there she stayed.

But before they reached home, Donald and his driver and fireman consulted together, and made a plan. That night, Donald's driver and fireman set to work. When Duck's crew arrived to look him over in the morning, they found something which made them laugh until they cried. "Look Duck," they said. "Look what was under your coal bunker! A nest box, with an egg in it." Duck peered at it in disbelief.

But Donald opened a sleepy eye. "Ye don't say!" He exclaimed. "He mynd whit ah said, Duck. Ye mist hae leid it this nicht, a' unbeknownst." Then Duck laughed too.

"You win, Donald," he said. "It'd take a clever engine to get the better of you." The duckling settled at the station, and became popular with passengers and staff. She carefully inspects all parcels and luggage, and sees that the porters stow them properly in the vans. When she wants to swim, she flies to a nearby pond, but always returns to welcome the trains.

She stands by the cab, quacking imperiously till driver or fireman gives her something to eat. Donald is her favorite, and she sometimes allows him to give her rides, but always gets off at her own station. The stationmaster calls her Dilly, but to everyone else, she is always Donald's Duck.

Oliver, is a Great Western tank engine. The Other Railway wanted to scrap him, so he ran away, taking Isabel and Toad with him. Isabel, is an autocoach from the former Great Western Railway, while Toad is a brake van. At the last moment, they were nearly caught. But Douglas saved them.

The Fat Controller was pleased, and said that when Oliver was mended, he could help Duck with his branch line. "We'll give you Great Western colors, like Duck," he said kindly. "That will help you to forget your troubles."

"Oh, thank you sir," said Oliver, happily. Duck's branch line starts at the big station. When Oliver started work, he often met other engines there. They all wanted to know about his adventures.

"Amazing!" Henry would remark.

"Oliver," said James. "Has resource."

"And sagacity," put in Gordon. "He is an example to us all."

"You're too kind," Oliver replied. But he was only a tank engine, and no big engine had ever said admiring things to him before. I'm sorry to say, that the remarks from Henry, Gordon and James caused him to become rather conceited. The Fat Controller rescued another coach, called Dulcie. She trundled along with Isabel.

One day, while Isabel and Dulcie were trailing behind Oliver, he seemed more conceited than ever before. "Just listen to him. Just listen to him," twittered Dulcie.

"He's proud. He's conceited. He's heading for trouble," Isabel said in reply. "I feel it in my frames!" She shrieked as they rounded a curve. Oliver just laughed.

"Henry says I'm amazing, he's right. What do I care for trouble? I just push it aside," Oliver boasted. All troublesome trucks are badly behaved, but ballast trucks are worst of all. Donald, Douglas and Duck warned Oliver about this. "You think I can't manage," he said huffily. "Gordon knows better, he says I'm sagacious."

"You may be good gracious, but-"

"Say no mair, Duck. It's indeed a pity, bit young wee Oliver wull juist hae tae learn." Today, Oliver took the trucks by himself for the first time. He pulled the loaded ones to a siding, then pushed empties to a chute. Then he came back to pull the loaded ones away, full of confidence. The loaded trucks were comfortable, and didn't want to move. They had only just realized that they had a different engine.

"Duck, we know," they grumbled. "And Donald, and Douglas. What right does Oliver have to poke his funnel in here?"

"Look sharp!" Puffed Oliver as he was buffered up to the trucks by his driver.

"That's no way to speak, we'll pay him out." The trucks moved off easily, but Oliver thought he had them in control.

"Trucks don't play tricks on me," he told himself proudly. "I'll arrange them on the middle road and start away as soon as Duck arrives. I can't understand why he say they're so troublesome!" They soon reached the station, and Oliver's brakes came on with a groan. But brakes were useless against loaded, surging trucks.

They pushed forward, yelling "On! On! On!" As they did so. Oliver fought hard, but still they forced him onwards. After a while, their efforts weakened at last.

"I'm winning," he gasped. "If only-" But it was too late. One moment, his rear wheels were on the rails. The next, they weren't, and he landed in the turntable well, bunker first, a large amount of ballast all around him. When Duck arrived, he was stopped at the station, and flagged at the platform.

He soon surveyed the wreckage. "Hello Oliver!" He remarked. "Are you being a good gracious engine? Beg pardon, of course, but we don't really like that sort of surprise. Donald and Douglas will miss their turntable until it's been mended or replaced." Later that day, Donald and Douglas spoke pungently with their strong Scottish accents, and the Fat Controller spoke pointedly in English.

"Ye dunderheided engine, ye broke our turntable!" Donald told Oliver, sounding rather cross with the Great Western tank engine.

"Aye! Noo whit ur we meant tae dae while it's bein' fixed, ye foolish engine?!" Douglas added.

The Fat Controller spoke next, and he did not sound pleased with Oliver. "I am disappointed in you, Oliver. Now you shall have to go to the works again. But maybe in future, this will teach you to be more careful about how you handle ballast trucks," he reprimanded in a stern tone.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir." All three left Oliver in no doubt at all, that so far from being sagacious, he was a very silly engine.

When Oliver eventually came home again, the trucks sang rude songs. They were led by S.C. Ruffey, a privately owned wagon. "Oliver's no use at all. Thinks he's very clever. Says that he can manage us. That's the best joke ever! When he orders us about, with the greatest folly. We just push him down the well… Pop goes Old Ollie!"

"Clam up!" Douglas ordered and bumped them. "Or I'll destroy ye lik' ah did tae that spiteful brake van!" But Douglas couldn't be everywhere, and everywhere he wasn't, the trucks began again.

"Oliver's no use at all. Thinks he's very clever. Says that he can manage us. That's the best joke ever! When he orders us about, with the greatest folly. We just push him down the well… Pop goes Old Ollie!"

At last, Duck, Donald and Douglas all gave up. "We're sorry, Oliver," they said.

"It's really my fault," he answered sadly.

"I'm worried, Mr. Douglas," said Toad the next morning. "This nasty spirit of disrespect for engines, where's it going to end?"

"Ah haven't th' slightest idea, Toad. Bit you're richt, this does need tae halt," Douglas replied.

"It must be stopped, before it gets worse. I believe Mr. Oliver can do it!"

"Mibbie sae, bit whit wid Oliver hae tae dae tae achieve it?" Douglas asked.

"I have a plan, Mr. Douglas. May I stay here today and help him? We are both Great Western, and must stand together! Would you ask him before you go, to hear out my plan when he has time?"

"I'll tak' ye tae him, bit... Ah git th' feeling that Oliver micht hae a lairge weight oan his buffers ahen it comes tae handling this."

Sometime later, in the sheds, Duck and Oliver listened to Toad's plan. But Duck had his reservations about it. "Toad, are you sure that you should even be suggesting such an idea to Oliver? I remember Douglas getting an stern talking to from the Fat Controller after he destroyed that brake van by accident while helping James up Gordon's Hill."

But Oliver interrupted. "No, Duck. Toad's right, this trouble is my fault and I must put it right."

"I meant no disrespect, Mr. Oliver, you understand."

"Of course not, Toad. Anyway, my crew says the same. And they've arranged it with the stationmaster."

"Very well, Oliver. But I have to hurry, I've got passengers waiting. Don't forget that tip I got from Stepney about sand. Lay it on the rails as you back down, and roll it firm with your wheels. You'd get a splendid grip that way. Good luck, all three of us will be there to cheer you on while you give those trucks a lesson. So long." Oliver smiled bravely, but he felt dreadfully nervous inside.

Later that day, Oliver arrived at the yard. "Mr. Oliver, I expect that you'll want to be on the middle road," Toad advised.

"Er, yes please," Oliver replied. He soon set to work and marshaled the worst trucks two by two, Toad watching to make sure it went smoothly.

"This way might take longer, Mr. Oliver. But they can't give you trouble. And if you leave that S.C. Ruffey until last, you'll have him behind you. That way, you can bump him if he starts his nonsense." A couple minutes went by, and Duck arrived with a passenger train to find them ready and waiting.

"Three cheers for Oliver and Toad!" He called. Alice and Mirabel soon responded by encouraging Oliver, and so did the passengers, baffled since they didn't yet know what would happen.

"Hold back," S.C. Ruffey whispered as Oliver was backed down onto the train by his driver. The trucks soon began laughing, and passed the word to each other. After being coupled to the train, Oliver dug his wheels into the sand, soon giving a mighty heave. "Whoa!" S.C. Ruffey groaned as his couplings tightened. "I don't like this."

"Give them everything you've got, Oliver!" Duck encouraged. "Well done!" S.C. Ruffey soon started wailing, being caught between Oliver and the trucks behind him. But no one paid S.C. Ruffey any mind.

"Ow! Oh! Wha- I'm coming apart!" There was the sudden noise of cracking wood, and S.C. Ruffey fell apart as Oliver suddenly shot forward. Thinking quickly, Oliver's driver shut off steam and applied the brakes.

When he heard what had happened, the Fat Controller went to see Oliver at once. "So, Oliver. You don't know your own strength, is that it?"

"N- no, sir," said Oliver nervously. Soon, the Fat Controller inspected what remained of S.C. Ruffey.

"Hmm, as I thought," he remarked. "Rotten wood, rusty frames. Unserviceable before arrival. Take him to be scrapped at once." Then, the Fat Controller turned to face Oliver. "Don't tell the trucks that, bad for discipline," he whispered. He soon strolled away, chuckling.

Nowadays, Oliver only takes trucks when the other engines are busy. But they always behave well, and are quick to warn each other whenever they see him. "Take care around Oliver. He's strong, he is. You play tricks on him, and he'll likely tear you in half."

It was a bank holiday, and the Arlesdale Railway engines were working hard since their station was crowded. To try and handle the influx of passengers, the Small Controller had Mike taken off the goods trains so he could assist Rex and Bert, much to his annoyance. "Hmph, bother these passengers!" Mike grumbled. "I hate taking passenger trains, give me goods trains any day!"

"Alright, Mike. That will do," said his driver. "The Small Controller wants you to help Rex and Bert manage the increased workload, so you'll just have to put up with it." But Duck, Oliver, Donald and Douglas were all busy too. They were so busy, in fact, that Daisy and BoCo had been temporarily reassigned to the Little Western by the Fat Controller. Duck was currently waiting to leave with his next train, when he heard a horn. Looking around, he soon noticed BoCo and Daisy arriving.

"The Fat Controller reassigned us temporarily, since he noticed that all four of you were being rushed off your wheels, so to speak," BoCo explained.

"Good thing, too," Duck replied. "I don't know how much longer we'd be able to manage." Behind him, Alice and Mirabel complained about the heat, so he backed them into a goods shed. Nearby, stood a red double decker bus. Duck was puzzled, he'd never seen this bus before. The bus watched the passengers happily milling around the Arlesdale Railway.

"Stupid nonsense," he grumbled. "Wouldn't have brought them if I'd known. I'd have had a breakdown or something."

"I'm glad you didn't," said Duck. "You'd have spoiled their fun," he told the bus. "Look how they're enjoying themselves."

"Rubbish!" The bus retorted. "Enjoyment's all you engines live for. Taking the petrol from the tanks of us vehicles. Come the revolution," he went on fiercely. "Railways will be ripped up! Cars and coaches will trample their remains! Free the roads!" he growled. "Free the roads from railway tyranny!"

At the passing station, Duck told Oliver, Isabel and Dulcie about the bus. "I call him Bulgy," Oliver chuckled. "He's painted bright red, and shouts, down with railways!" But next time they met, Oliver didn't laugh, he looked rather cross. "Bulgy's friend has arrived, he's red and rude too. He's taking Bulgy's passengers home, so as to leave him free to steal ours."

Nearby, Daisy had just finished taking a load of passengers past the coastline, and was now being reversed into a shed. "Oh, all this traveling back and forth is bad for my swerves," she complained. A red bus identical to Bulgy overheard this while taking on some petrol.

"Typical, you railway engines are so lazy. We buses can do your work in half the time while handling double the passengers you can!" The bus boasted. "You wait and see, since my friend is going to steal their passengers," he said, growling at Duck and Oliver. Once the bus was finished fueling up, he roared to life and drove away, leaving Daisy to choke on his exhaust.

"Oh, what a dreadfully rude bus," Daisy muttered.

"What? He can't do that!" Objected Duck. "We've got just as much as a right to carry passengers around as those two buses do."

"Bulgy claims he can get to the big station before us," Oliver said.

"Rubbish! It's much further by road."

Oliver looked anxious. "Yes, but Bulgy claims he knows a shortcut." That evening, Duck, Oliver and Donald were preparing for the homeward rush. BoCo had already left a few minutes before, pulling a train of coaches filled with passengers.

At some point during the journey, BoCo was passed by Bulgy's friend, who jeered rudely at him. "Down with railways! The roads will prevail! And then we'll get the last laugh, you worn out pile of scrap!" The bus soon accelerated, leaving BoCo in the dust while roaring down the road.

Duck's train was the next to depart, but he had few passengers, much to his bafflement. He was soon to know why. "Look!" Exclaimed Oliver. "Look at Bulgy! He's a mean scarlet deceiver!" Bulgy had turned to leave, they could now see his other side. It had the words, Railway Bus, on it.

"Stop!" Yelled staff and engines. But it was too late, Bulgy was already setting off.

"Yah boo snubs!" He jeered and roared away, taking their passengers with him. But the unsuspecting passengers waved happily.

"Gang efter him, Duck. That lying bus cannae be allowed tae git awa' wi' this!" Donald exclaimed.

"Come on!" Said Duck. Soon, he set off with Alice and Mirabel, rather cross with Bulgy for stealing their passengers.

Alice and Mirabel were cross too. "That nasty old thief," they muttered. "He's stolen our passengers." Duck wondered how to pay Bulgy out. But far ahead, a man clambered the embankment, waving a red scarf. Seeing this, Duck's driver shut off steam and applied the brakes, gradually bringing the train to a stop.

"Danger!" The man shouted. This part of the railway line passes over a narrow road.

Duck moved as close as he could, before being stopped. "So this is Bulgy's shortcut," he chuckled. Bulgy was wedged underneath the bridge, and there was a long line of traffic in both directions, the drivers angrily blaring their car horns since they couldn't currently get through.

"You daft red git!" One driver said while shaking his fist at Bulgy. "Now I'm going to be late for work, thanks to you!" The passengers were angry, and began demanding their money back. But from time to time, loosened bricks fell and made Bulgy yelp.

Soon, Bulgy's passengers swarmed around Duck like a hive of angry bees. "He tricked us!" They complained. "He said he was a railway bus, but wouldn't accept our return tickets. He wanted us to think that railways are no good! Please help us." Duck's crew examined the bridge.

"It's risky," they said. "But we must help the passengers."

"Passengers are urgent," agreed Duck. "Besides, it will serve Bulgy right for lying to them. The driver and fireman laughed, telling the passengers to wait on the other side of the bridge. Once they were all safely inside the coaches, Duck's driver cautiously opened the regulator, causing the bridge to shift and Duck began moving forward.

"Stop!" Wailed Bulgy. "It might fall on me."

"You should have thought of that before you lied to the passengers," Duck said severely as he passed over the bridge. Bulgy wailed again as he felt the bridge shift again, but it didn't collapse. Duck made good time to the big station, and all the passengers caught their trains. The Fat Controller soon arranged a shuttle service on the branch line. Passengers change trains at Bulgy's Bridge.

Bulgy had to stay until it was mended, but he never learned sense. He told lies until no one could believe his destination boards, and no passengers would travel in him. He's a henhouse now, in a field beside the railway. While he still tells lies, they can do no harm, the hens never listen to them anyway.

Sometime later, after the influx of passengers had died down on the Little Western, BoCo and Daisy were no longer needed since Duck, Oliver, Mike, Rex, Bert, Donald and Douglas could now manage the work by themselves.

But while Daisy had returned to help manage passengers on the Ffarquhar Branch Line, BoCo had been assigned to double head the express with Bear since Gordon was ill, while Henry and James were busy with other jobs.

After arriving at the station where the train terminated, BoCo heard a whistle and looked around, soon noticing a steamroller was parked nearby. "Oh, great. There's more of you engines? That controller of yours ought to come to his senses already and scrap every last one of you. Railways are no good, turn them into roads. Rip them up, turn them into roads. Railways are no good, turn them into roads. Rip them up, turn them into roads."

Neither BoCo or Bear knew this, but the steamroller was George, who had a previous run in with Sir Handel that resulted in some of his trucks being destroyed by the steamroller after a brief confrontation between them. As BoCo watched George leave, he began speaking to Bear. "And here I thought that Bulgy was rather vocal about his dislike for the railways."

Elsewhere, the Fat Controller was in his office when there was a knock at the door. Looking up, he noticed the Thin Clergyman and the Fat Clergyman standing there. "Ah, I do hope we didn't catch you at a bad time, Sir Topham," the Thin Clergyman said.

"Not at all. Please, feel free to come in and have a seat. But if you two don't mind me asking, what is the reason for this rather sudden visit?"

"Well, Sir Topham. We have recently learned about a tender engine somewhere on the Island of Sodor, but his current whereabouts are currently unknown. His name is Duke, and we wish to find him. But tell me. Sir Topham, what do you know of the old Mid Sodor Railway?"

"Hmm, interesting. And to answer your question, the Mid Sodor Railway went bankrupt sometime in the late 1940's, which meant that the engines and rolling stock were sold off."

"Indeed, and apparently, the Arlesdale Railway was built over part of the route of the former Mid Sodor Railway. So I propose, that an expedition should be launched to find out where exactly Duke is."

"I'll admit, this idea of yours sounds rather intriguing. At the very least, it should help me get my mind off of, that…" Both men knew exactly what the Fat Controller meant. Because it was currently 1968, the year that steam traction was officially abolished from British Rail.

Elsewhere, Dr. Beeching still planned on forcibly taking control of the North Western Railway away from Sir Charles Topham Hatt. But that, is another story.


End file.
